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Last night's Smackdown provided fans with an exciting night of action, as General Manager Vicki Guerrero addressed the World Title situation and introduced a new match concept entitled "Championship Chase".
Vicki opened the show by announcing that all former World Champions, as well as ex-U.S., Intercontinental, and ECW Titleholders (devaluing the latter belt even further with this public acknowledgment of the ECW strap as a secondary championship) from all three brands had been invited to take part in the evening’s Championship Chase competition. Ten men were selected to wrestle one another in singles matches, with the winners advancing to an over-the-top-rope challenge at the end of the night. Whomever emerged victorious in the mini-battle royale would earn the right to battle The Undertaker for the vacant World Title at Judgment Day. Vicki stated that neither Edge (who was not medically cleared to wrestle) or The Great Khali (currently in India) would take part in the Championship Chase.
Matt Hardy, Batista, The Big Show, and Kane each won their qualifying matches to earn a spot in the main event, while MVP and Finlay were deemed eligible by Vicki Guerrero after both wrestlers’ shoulders were counted down during their bout. The order of elimination during the Championship Chase is as follows: Matt Hardy (Yes, the new U.S. Titleholder was tossed out first), Finlay, MVP, Kane, and The Big Show … or so we thought. After Batista was declared the victor, Vicki appeared once again and announced that her fiancee, Edge had just received medical clearance to compete in the match. Edge’s music hit and The Rated R Superstar ran into the ring and speared an exhausted Batista (who had gone over the top rope while eliminating Show) off of the apron to win the event. As Edge headed up the ramp, the “bong” from ‘Taker’s music played and a bolt of lightning shattered the glass case enclosing the displayed World Title. The Ultimate Opportunist then watched in horror as his beloved strap became engulfed in flames.
This was a very enjoyable edition of Smackdown. Themed shows are generally entertaining, as it’s always fun to watch a story build throughout the night. I liked the ending to the Championship Chase event - Edge is arguably the best heel in the business today and I look forward to his third consecutive PPV match with The Undertaker at Judgment Day.
Match Results: U.S. Champion Matt Hardy over CM Punk via pinfall in a non-title match … MVP and Finlay wrestled to a draw when both men’s shoulders were counted down … Natalya over Kelly Kelly via pinfall … Batista over John Morrison via pinfall … The Big Show over Tommy Dreamer via pinfall … ECW Champion Kane over Chavo Guerrero via pinfall in a non-title match … Vladimir Kozlov over Phil Atlas via pinfall … Edge over Batista, MVP, Matt Hardy, The Big Show, Kane, and Finlay in an over-the-top-rope challenge after eliminating Batista.
Views: 395
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